Heather Shearer, BA (Hons) DC, CMCC FCCS(C) MSc, PhD
image of Dr. Heather Shearer

Email: hshearer@cmcc.ca

CMCC Phone #: 647-805-3541

Social Media: LinkedIn

Accepting Students for supervision:

Looking for faculty collaborators:

Looking to join a research project as a team member:



Research Interests/Topics

  • Disability
  • Epidemiology
  • Mixed Methods
  • Paediatrics
  • Pain
  • Rehabilitation


Background

I have always had a passion for clinically impactful research. Training as a clinical epidemiologist was the perfect synergy for applying my clinical knowledge, lived experience, and further advancing my methodological and research skills to improve patient outcomes.

I have been very fortunate to be involved with a variety of research projects and work with incredible mentors and collaborators to date. My early years focused on adult musculoskeletal research. More recently, I’ve developed an interest in rehabilitation with a specific focus on paediatric pain trajectories and access to rehabilitation services. I am also interested in mixed-methods research, which integrates benefits of quantitative and qualitative approaches.



Publications

ORCiD

Role: Committee Member
Level: Resident
Student Name: Kristen Mangos
Institution: Canadian Memorial Chiropractic College
Thesis/Project Title: TBD

Role: Supervisor
Level: Resident
Student Name: Alexandra Sgro
Institution: Canadian Memorial Chiropractic College
Thesis/Project Title: TBD

Role: Supervisor
Level: Resident
Student Name: Katie Svoboda
Institution: Canadian Memorial Chiropractic College
Thesis/Project Title: Investigating the feasibility of utilizing a community injury surveillance form in a convenience sample of youth rugby players.

Role: Co-Supervisor
Level: Masters
Student Name: Simran Walia
Institution: Ontario Tech University
Thesis/Project Title: Exploring Wait Times for Pediatric Habilitation/Rehabilitation Services for Children who are Neurodiverse in Durham, Ontario

Role: Committee Member
Level: Masters
Student Name: Navreen Jhawar
Institution: Ontario Tech University
Thesis/Project Title: Are young Canadian adults with self-reported depression and mobility limitations less likely to consult Family Doctors, Psychologists, Social Workers and Psychiatrists than those without mobility limitations? A population-based cross-sectional study.

Role: Supervisor
Level: Undergraduate
Student Name: Simran Walia
Institution: Ontario TTrends in access to government funded rehabilitation services between 2012-2022 for families of children and youth with disabilities living in the Durham Region: A pilot study.

  1. Structural barriers and facilitators to accessing habilitation and rehabilitation among children with cerebral palsy.
  2. Optimizing care for older adults: predicting non-responders to care across MSK disorders and treatments.
  3. An IDEAL-Rehab Framework to guide study design and conduct of rehabilitation interventions.
  4. Combined in-person and internet-delivered cognitive behavioural pain management program for children and youth with cerebral palsy: A clinical feasibility study.
  5. One-year pain trajectories and well-being in children and young people with cerebral palsy: a cohort study.

Adjunct Professor, Faculty of Health Sciences, Ontario Tech University


Darcy Fehlings, Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital/p>

Grandview Children’s Centre


Agency/Organization:: SSHRC Small Grants Program 2024 – Explore Stream
Title:: Structural barriers and facilitators to accessing habilitation and rehabilitation among children with cerebral palsy.
Role: Co-Investigator

Agency/Organization: Canadian Chiropractic Research Foundation
Title: Optimizing care for older adults: predicting non-responders to care across MSK disorders and treatments.
Role: Co-Investigator

Agency/Organization: Canadian Chiropractic Research Foundation
Title:: An IDEAL-Rehab Framework to guide study design and conduct of rehabilitation interventions.
Role: Co-Primary Investigator

Agency/Organization:: Academic Health Science Centre (AHSC) Alternative Funding Plan (AFP) Innovation Fund
Title:Combined in-person and internet-delivered cognitive behavioural pain management program for children and youth with cerebral palsy: A clinical feasibility study.
Role: Co-Primary Investigator